DETAILS: DISH fires up its news and political programming with Glenn Beck's TheBlaze

September 12, 2012

Writer

DISH FIRES UP ITS NEWS AND POLITICAL PROGRAMMING WITH GLENN BECK'S THEBLAZE

Beck's 24-hour News, Information and Entertainment Network Extends To Television Starting with DISH on Sept. 12 at 5 p.m. EDT on channel 212

TheBlaze Continues its Rapid Growth - Original Content Grew the Network into One of the World’s Most Subscribed-to Online Streaming Networks in Just One Year

Network has Attracted Some of the Best Up-and-coming Talent in News and Opinion Programming with Will Cain, SE Cupp, Lu Hanessian, Amy Holmes, Raj Nair, Brian Sack, Buck Sexton and Andrew Wilkow

NEW YORK and Englewood, Colo., Sept. 12, 2012 -- TheBlaze Inc. and DISH Network, LLC announced today that TheBlaze, Glenn Beck’s online 24-hour news, information and entertainment network will now be available on television starting, at launch, exclusively on DISH.

TheBlaze joins DISH’s selection of news and commentary programming representing all points on the political spectrum, including MSNBC, BBC America, CNN, Current, Comedy Central and FOX News.

The online network launched a year ago today as GBTV and quickly grew into one of the world’s largest online streaming networks. TheBlaze will be available to DISH viewers on channel 212 as part of DISH’s America’s Top 250 package or a la carte for $5 a month. The channel launches today at 5 p.m. EDT and customers can order a la carte starting tomorrow. TheBlaze will be available as a free preview for all DISH customers through Sept. 26.

TheBlaze will continue to be available direct to consumers through its online subscription platform as TheBlaze TV on TheBlaze.com and various Internet-connected devices.

“After being phenomenally successful with his online streaming network, we’re pleased to host Glenn Beck’s return to broadcast TV, especially during this exciting and important political season,” said DISH CEO and President Joseph Clayton. “With Glenn’s return, DISH is truly the one stop for news, opinion and perspective across the full political spectrum.”

Beck said: “TheBlaze has helped revolutionize television over the Internet and now we are excited to bring the revolution back to traditional television. TheBlaze will be home to news, information and entertainment programming with the facts and stories people care about most and we look forward to kicking things off with DISH.”

Christopher Balfe, CEO of TheBlaze said: “At launch, our goal was to deliver TV over the Internet, not Internet TV. Twelve months later, we’ve succeeded beyond our wildest imagination with content that built one of the world’s largest subscription streaming networks. We are pleased to have attracted the attention of a world-class television distribution partner like DISH. We are excited to continue to grow TheBlaze.”

Glenn Beck's TheBlaze is a news, information and entertainment network dedicated to delivering high quality programming 24 hours a day, seven days a week led by Beck’s daily TV show.

TheBlaze will continue to grow its slate of shows which already includes an opinion show hosted by Andrew Wilkow, the reality show Independence USA, the kid's show Liberty TreeHouse, the news show Real News, and the comedy news show The B.S. of A. TheBlaze has attracted some of the best up and coming talent in news, information and opinion programming like Will Cain, S.E. Cupp, Lu Hanessian, Amy Holmes, Raj Nair, Brian Sack, Buck Sexton and Andrew Wilkow.

The Network’s web site at TheBlaze.com finished August with its best ever month hosting over 9 million unique visitors. The site will continue to include a mix of free original reporting, curated content and opinion pieces.

Led by Balfe, TheBlaze's executive team brings years of experience from leadership level positions in television and media.

Joel Cheatwood, President & Chief Content Officer of TheBlaze, was a Senior Vice President at FoxNews and CNN and oversees programming.

Lynne Costantini, former EVP of Affiliate Sales and Marketing at Scripps Networks Interactive and SVP of Programming at Time Warner Cable, Inc. leads the distribution strategy for TheBlaze in a consulting capacity. Costantini negotiated TheBlaze’s relationship with DISH and will do the same with other distributors.

Kraig Kitchin, President & Chief Revenue Officer, co-founded Premiere Radio Networks-the top radio network in the country and the distributor of Glenn's radio show. He will continue to grow the network’s strong advertising base and deep relationships with advertisers.

Betsy Morgan, President & Chief Strategy Officer, was CEO of The Huffington Post and a Senior Vice President at CBS News and oversees strategy for the network.

Carolyn Polke, President & Chief Operating Officer of TheBlaze, will continue to spearhead the networks rapid growth in digital media.

About Dish

DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH), through its subsidiary DISH Network L.L.C., provides approximately 14.061 million satellite TV customers, as of June 30, 2012, with the highest quality programming and technology with the most choices at the best value, including HD Free for Life. Subscribers enjoy the largest high definition line-up with more than 200 national HD channels, the most international channels, and award-winning HD and DVR technology. DISH Network Corporation's subsidiary, Blockbuster L.L.C., delivers family entertainment to millions of customers around the world. DISH Network Corporation is a Fortune 200 company. Visit www.dish.com.

About TheBlaze

Glenn Beck's TheBlaze is a news, information & entertainment network dedicated to delivering high quality programming 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The exclusive provider of Glenn's daily television broadcast, TheBlaze also offers a full slate of thought provoking news and opinion shows like Real News and Wilkow, late night comedy like BS of A, family-friendly programming like Independence USA and Liberty Treehouse, provocative documentaries and other original specials covering a myriad of entertaining and enlightening topics. TheBlaze, which receives 9 million unique online visitors per month, is the only network where you can find the facts and stories you care about most. TheBlaze -Truth Lives Here.

###

POLL: Should the Government control the future of AI?

The Washington Post / Contributor | Getty Images

Earlier this week, tech titans, lawmakers, and union leaders met on Capitol Hill to discuss the future of AI regulation. The three-hour meeting boasted an impressive roster of tech leaders including, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and others, along with more than 60 US Senators.

Tech Titans and Senators gathered in the Kennedy Caucus Room.The Washington Post / Contributor | Getty Images

The meeting was closed to the public, so what was exactly discussed is unknown. However, what we do know is that a majority of the CEOs support AI regulation, the most vocal of which is Elon Musk. During the meeting, Musk called AI "a double-edged sword" and strongly pushed for regulation in the interest of public safety.

A majority of the CEOs support AI regulation.

Many other related issues were discussed, including the disruption AI has caused to the job market. As Glenn has discussed on his program, the potential for AI to alter or destroy jobs is very real, and many have already felt the effects. From taxi drivers to Hollywood actors and writers, AI's presence can be felt everywhere and lawmakers are unsure how to respond.

The potential for AI to alter or destroy jobs is very real.

Ultimately, the meeting's conclusion was less than decisive, with several Senators making comments to the tune of "we need more time before we act." The White House is expected to release an executive order regarding AI regulation by the end of the year. But now it's YOUR turn to tell us what YOU think needs to be done!

Should A.I. be regulated?

Can the government be trusted with the power to regulate A.I.?

Can Silicon Valley be trusted to regulate AI?

Should AI development be slowed for safety, despite its potential advantages?

If a job can be done cheaper and better by AI, should it be taken away from a human?

Do you feel that your job is threatened by AI?

Get chapter 1 of 'Dark Future' sent to your inbox for FREE!

Haven't grabbed your copy of Dark Future yet? Glenn is giving you EXCLUSIVE access to the first chapter of his New York Times bestselling book detailing all of his predictions about how modern technology and political systems will be used to make "The Great Reset" a reality.

Enter your email below to have chapter 1 of Dark Future sent straight to your inbox.

If you want a hard copy of Dark Future, click HERE. If you want an audiobook version, click HERE.

Glenn wrote this essay on September 12, 2001. Are we the same people now?

ED JONES / Contributor | Getty Images

Twenty two years ago today on September 12th, 2001, Glenn wrote an essay called "The Greatest American Generation." These were his visceral thoughts immediately following the 9/11 attacks. This beautiful essay calls upon the American spirit to rise to the occasion to pull us through what was one of the darkest days in our nation's history. He called us to unite around the common vision that unites us as Americans.

Yesterday, Glenn revisited this essay, wondering if we are the same people who could have pulled through that dark hour. Do you still believe the things that he wrote in this essay? Or have we become a people too divided to overcome a tragedy of the magnitude of 9/11? Consider these questions as you read Glenn's essay below, "The Greatest American Generation," published on September 12, 2001.

I've always believed that the greatest American generation is the one that's living, in the here and the now. The question is not if this is the greatest American generation. The question was when were we going to wake up? I remember staying at my grandparents' house in the summer when I was small. Every morning my grandmother would open the attic door and call up, "Kids, time to wake up." For me she'd have to do this a couple of times before I'd lumber out of bed and cross the cold, squeaky wooden floor. But finally, I would. And she'd be there in the kitchen ready with breakfast. My grandfather was already outside in the henhouse because there was work to do. They were hardworking, good and decent people. Seemed to me that they were from not only a different time but a different place. They weren't.

The spirit of our parents and our grandparents isn't from some foreign place. It hasn't died out. It's a flame that flickers in all Americans. It's there and it's ready to blaze to life when we're ready to face the challenges that now lie at our feet. It's what sets us apart. It's what built this country. It's why our borders still teem with the poor and the tired and those yearning to be free, burned with zeal in the hearts of millions of immigrants from every corner of the Earth who came here in search of a better way of life. The flame that Lady Liberty holds is the American spirit which burns deep within all of us, no matter what our race, gender, our religious background. And today the world is watching us. It's really nothing new. It always has.

Since the dawn of man people dreamt of a better life, dreamt of a better way, of freedom. But it was Americans that finally found a way to build it. And out of all that we've built, the powerful machines, the computers, the weapons of mass destruction, hardware and software that we spent millions on every year to protect and keep the plan secret, our biggest seeming secret, the one the world wants most of all, isn't a secret at all. It's something we freely give to the rest of the world. And while it seems self‑evident to us, for some reason it can't be duplicated. Yet it can be passed on from person to person, torch to torch. It's the American spirit.

If you weren't trapped in one of those towers or on a plane or in the Pentagon, then you have great reason to humbly give thanks today, not for our lives but because we're the lucky ones. God hasn't forsaken us. He's awakened us. Standing at the bottom of the stairs, he's gently called out, "Kids, it's time to wake up! We've been given another chance."

Thousands of years ago in Babel, the great civilization in their arrogance built a tower that reached the sky. It crumbled and they were scattered. Our heart and steely symbols of power and wealth may have crumbled, but we have not been scattered. Americans aren't ever going to scatter. Let the world recognize through our actions today that those firefighters in New York are not the exception. They are the rule. Americans don't run from burning buildings. We run into them. It was a beautiful fall morning on the edge of the land created through divine providence. Coffee shops were open. Children were on their buses and people easing into another typical workday when America's greatest generation heard the voice: "Kids, it's time to wake up."

Several times we've ignored the voice. We've drifted back into twilight sleep muttering, "I know, I know, in a minute." But finally we are awake and out of bed, for there is much work to do. The task before us is much more daunting than what our grandparents and parents faced, but we are stronger, a more prepared nation. The torch has been passed. We are the greatest American generation. The American spirit is alive and well. Our flame has not burned out. It had just been dimmed while we were asleep."

Remembering 9/11: A call to unify as Americans

Robert Giroux / Staff | Getty Images

Glenn often harkens back to September 11, 2001, as a pivotal day for the American spirit. When American Airlines Flight 11 hit the South Tower at 8:46 a.m. that sunny September morning in Manhattan, there was no question that September 11 would become one of the most consequential moments in American history. However, in that moment, the outcome of that day was yet to be determined.

How would September 11 be remembered in history textbooks? Would it be the beginning of the end of our Republic? Many thought so and for just reason. Our country was under attack. Planes hijacked by our enemy were headed towards the buildings that represented the institutions that comprise the fabric of our republic. If there was any day that called into question our nation's future, it was September 11.

New York City firefighters and a photojournalist work at Ground Zero after two hijacked planes crashed into the Twin TowersRon Agam / Stringer | Getty Images

But the American spirit had a different narrative in mind. Instead of caving to the narrative that the hijackers attempted to write, the American people rose to the occasion that duty beckoned. As Glenn wrote in an essay the day after the September 11 attacks, "Americans don't run from burning buildings. We run into them." And we did. Many remained there as their final burial place.

The American people rose to the occasion that duty beckoned.

As New York Governor Pataki remarked, "On that terrible day, a nation became neighbors." We weren't Democrats. We weren't Republicans. On that day, we were Americans. We chose to write a different narrative in the history books following 9/11, one of resilience, bravery, brotherhood, and the triumph of the American spirit.

As Glenn so poignantly wrote on September 12th:

The spirit of our parents and our grandparents isn't from some foreign place. It hasn't died out. It's a flame that flickers in all Americans.

And that flickering light turned into a roaring fire on that pivotal day, one that not even the fires in the World Trade Centers, the Pentagon, or the empty field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania could consume.

We chose to write a different narrative in the history books following 9/11, one of resilience, bravery, brotherhood, and the triumph of the American spirit.

But can we say the same about the American people today? Do we still carry the flickering flame of the American spirit that has been passed down to us from generations past? As Glenn reflected today, 22 years after penning those words, he isn't so sure. And I'm not either.

A candlelight vigil for the victims of the World Trade Center terrorist attack is held at Union Square in New York City.Evan Agostini / Contributor | Getty Images

The same American spirit that we relied upon to pull us through September 11 seems to be a waning flame in a torch that few are clinging to. We are increasingly losing sight of what it means to be an American. Common principles that we traditionally shared across party lines are now being vehemently contested, both by the ruling class and in the public square. This is not the same America that triumphed over September 11.

We are increasingly losing sight of what it means to be an American.

This raises the troubling question: Could we endure another attack of a similar magnitude? Would the triumph of the American spirit dictate the narrative of that day, or would a foreign enemy steal the pen from liberty's fingers? These are the tough questions we must wrestle with in our pivotal moment as a nation.

But these questions aren't devoid of hope. There is still time to recall those timeless principles that transcended party lines on September 11 and united us as Americans. There is still time to nurse the waning flame for those who are committed to holding liberty's torch. There is still time to view our political opponents as, in the words of Pataki, "neighbors," whose livelihood and future depend on the survival of our great nation.

There is still time to recall those timeless principles that transcended party lines on September 11.

But that window is short. We must strive towards unity now if our nation hopes to, as Lincoln said in his own time of division, "endure."

As Glenn wrote in that essay on September 12, 2001, we must be, "awake and out of bed, for there is much work to do. [...] Our flame has not burned out. It had just been dimmed while we were asleep."

Acouple cary the American flag down a lower-Manhattan street a week after the September 11 attacksRichard Baker / Contributor | Getty Images

Flames cannot flicker forever. If they are not nursed, they will flicker out, leaving darkness in its wake. It's time to wake up. We must be attentive and awake, nursing the remnant of liberty's flame until it is blazing like it did 22 years ago today. We cannot let it die on our watch. Too many people have sacrificed too much for us to drop the torch.

Glenn's Show Prep